Bare Bones
by Red Hill
Summary: Collection of drabbles and vignettes based on prompts. May contain any genres, characters and pairings, including het, yaoi and yuri. Contains recent manga spoilers. Drabble eight: gambol. Yondaime can only wish things turn out the way he wants them to.
1. Pinchbeck

First of all, I would like to make it clear that this is a drabble series, based on prompts, that have no relation to each other whatsoever (unless I say so). My prompts are taken from dictionary dot com, the Word of the Day section. There are some awesome words in their archive, if you would like to take a look. (In fact, if you really like this one word, you could request me to write it, with or without instructions about characters and genre. Though this doesn't guarantee it will be written, seeing as I have a life, despite being a writer...)  
I will write these prompts on a daily basis, the date above is the day the prompt (Word of the Day) was given out, not the day I wrote it (though I'm guessing that probably will be in sync). Hopefully I'll also be able to update daily, but seeing as I'm not super(wo)man, sometimes this just won't work out. If it's possible, I'll let you know in advance when there won't be prompts for a while. Words will always be displayed with their (fitting) meaning.  
So, why Bare Bones if this doesn't have anything to do with bones in any way, shape or form? 'Cause usually, if you outline, that is the bare bone structure, which you will layer with muscle, nerves and skin tissue. In other words, this isn't a full story. Hereby a disclaimer that not everything in this prompt collection will be brilliant (or outright stupid).

As for other disclaiming things... I do not own Naruto or any of its characters, those are all property of Masashi Kishimoto. Seeing as everyone has different tastes, wants and needs... Not every drabble/short-short/vignette/whatever you call it may be up to your tastes, seeing as I'm using these prompts to explore the Naruto universe for my own entertainment, and, if you like it, yours as well. Any pairings, characters and genres may appear, depending on my mood and inspiration (and occasionally, my muse).

_Characters/Pairings:_ Naruto and Sasuke, SasuNaruSasu, random appearings of boyfriends and girlfriends  
_Notes:_ Has negative mentions of Valentine's Day, and Sasuke's usual brooding. I think that's about it...

_February 15, 2009_

pinchbeck  
_adjective_:  
**1.** not genuine; fake

God, if he saw any more giggling couples today, he would puke in the nearest bush. Everything was too sweet for his tastes. The way the girl would giggle when the guy kissed her on the cheek, the way he put his arm around her and she would lean into his touch. The way she would brush his hair out of his face, and he would stare down at her, blushing. Because, you know, guys were always taller than girls. And they always must protect their girlfriends, no matter what. Especially from other people of the same sex, or so it seemed. It seemed to be the umpteenth glare Sasuke encountered today, and it was starting to piss him off.

Why the hell did these guys think he wanted to steal their silly too small for their own good girlfriends? Well, okay, just a year ago he had been the most wanted bachelor on Valentine's Day. That didn't mean he still was a bachelor.

Besides, the so-called love these couples shared… Half of them were teenagers, which meant that approximately half of them would probably not be together anymore by next Valentine's. He grimaced – and was sure that he turned slightly green – when he passed the park, where all the couples picnicked, and the guy would eat of the girls hand. Literally.

He sighed, and almost ran a hand through his hair. He'd been trying to quit the habit, seeing as it messed up his hair, a lot, but he couldn't help but do it if he felt frustrated. Another laughing couple passed by, and he clenched his hands into fists, right into his pockets. Being around here at this time of the day didn't do anything to improve his mood; in fact, it turned probably worse when people 'ooh'ed and 'aah'ed over the setting sun. They could watch this every day, so why did they have to do it now? He quickened his pace, and was relieved when he was finally out of the park. Though the stream of couples still hadn't finished, even though darkness had started to set in.

In Sasuke's opinion, Valentine's was just a stupid holiday that people glossed over for no reason at all. In fact, the fact they needed a special day just to prove how much they loved their significant other pointed out they might not love each other all that much. He jabbed his house key into the lock of his house, and turned it with a deafening squeek.

Angrily, he threw the door closed behind him. He'd wanted to come home in a good mood, and it was completely ruined. "Hey, are you home, bastard?" a voice called from the kitchen – it significantly brightened Sasuke's day, though there wasn't much day left to speak of. You see, when all those other people needed flowers, and sugary sweet kisses, all he wanted was one of his smiles. That was enough to make his day, despite everything.

You see, ever since last year, Uchiha Sasuke was no longer a bachelor. And while he didn't have a nice, cute girl, that welcomed him home after a long mission, he did have a hot boyfriend that would punch him in the nose just to say he loved him. Valentine's was never made for them anyway, Sasuke thought as he moved forward to steal a kiss.


	2. Interminable

Well, this is the second drabble. I don't have as much to say as last chapter, seeing as I don't have much more to explain. Though if you have any questions you're free to ask of course. Enjoy!

_Characters:_ Sakura, and mentions of team 7.  
_Notes:_ This has very recent manga spoilers, up to chapter 430, I believe. Please don't read if you don't want to be spoiled.

_February 16, 2009_

interminable  
_adjective_:  
so long as to seem endless; never stopping

The search for Sasuke seemed to be never-ending. When Sasuke had reached point B, Naruto would only be at point A, and by the time he would've reached B, Sasuke probably would have arrived at C. Naruto never gave up, though. The determination he still had, after years of looking, years of training, years of longing. And even though Sakura tried to pretend she still had that same fire burning inside her, she felt as if it was slowly burning out. It almost seemed more normal without Sasuke than with him, considering the amount of time he had been gone now.

Naruto still shone bright with determination, though, and every time he saw the Uchiha, that determination only seemed to shine brighter and brighter. He would renew his promise that he had made to her such a long time ago, and she found herself thinking that she no longer cared if he brought Sasuke home anymore, as long as he was okay. Naruto became a part of her life, more than Sasuke ever used to be, and she doubted herself- because what was love if Sasuke didn't really mean all that much to her? She could remember her genin days, when all she would do was think about Sasuke, be mesmerized about him. In her young eyes, no one could ever be as good as Sasuke, as handsome as Sasuke, as smart as Sasuke. She even talked herself down, in favor of Sasuke.

It was all her life seemed to contain, at that point. All she thought about now was Naruto, and sometimes, whether he would bring back Sasuke-kun or not. Though she wanted them to be team 7 again, she knew nothing would ever be the same. Not with Sai being here as well, and Yamato, and Kakashi… Her throat closed up at thinking about it. Kakashi-sensei would never be able to share team 7 again. If it ever turned out okay, he wouldn't be here to see his third student come back to Konoha, he wouldn't be here to see Naruto becoming Hokage. He wouldn't be here to witness any of their dreams and wishes coming true.

Sakura looked up to the blue sky, the sun burning down on the village. Last week, all it had done was rain. The sky had been mourning for the loss of a lot of shinobi, valuable friends, loved family, mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters. She could only imagine what it felt like to lose a relative to war, seeing as she was the only ninja in the family. But she knew what it felt like to lose a friend, a comrade. And she didn't know if it was worse to know that they were never coming back, or that they went away on their own accord and never wanted to see you again.

She knew, though, that Naruto wouldn't just give up on his search. He continued, on and on, because he had to. And Uzumaki Naruto never broke his promises, because that was his ninja way.


	3. Burnish

Third update already. Things start speeding up right about... now, I guess.

_Characters_: Suigetsu, and the rest of team Hebi/Taka/Hawk/Snake.  
_Notes:_ I just randomly started writing this one, and Suigetsu seemed just the type to do this, actually, so I wrote it. Oh, and it's from Sasuke's point of view. Enjoy!

_February 17, 2009_

burnish  
_verb, noun_:  
**1.** to make shiny by polishing

_noun_:  
**1.** a polish or shine

He never cared much for his sword, or so it seemed, at least, that was what Sasuke thought until he caught Suigetsu one time with a bottle of soap and some tissues, to wipe his sword – Zabuza's sword, he would often remind himself. "What are you doing?" he'd asked, in disbelief that one of teammates even did something as silly as polishing his sword. They had better things to do than that. Sure, he could wipe the blood off, especially if it caking on would prevent the weapon from slashing right through a victim, something he heard Suigetsu often brag about, though he'd never seen him do it.

Still, a grown man polishing his sword as if it was his biggest prize? Sasuke could get it if Suigetsu had won it in an epic battle, but he'd just stolen it from a dead man's grave, and not particularly gracefully either. Though the dead man probably didn't mind, Sasuke mused, as long as the sword was used well and often.

Now that he'd caught the other, he would find him on more than a few occasions just polishing up his sword without saying a single word. Though, if Karin would've found him, they most certainly would've clashed. Strangely enough, Sasuke found himself staring at his own sword for short periods of time, until he caught himself doing it and quickly sheathed it away. He couldn't be bothered to polish his own sword, he used it way too much and it would be a hassle to clean every day. He only did once a week, though he usually cleaned off the blood after a long fight, if the time-frame allowed it. Despite all this, Suigetsu still seemed to find the time do polish his own sword more than once a week, sometimes he would find him every day like that, as if it was his job.

Sasuke slowly started to understand why, though, but Suigetsu never told him in words. He polished the sword so he could be the rightful master, while honoring the previous one at the same time. From what Sasuke could remember, Zabuza had always looked proud at his sword, with the way he carried it around and used it to, basically, flaunt it to everyone who could see. Suigetsu never did that. He just gently took care of it, like a child, and used it vigorously in battle, battles that were usually won because of the way he used his sword as an extension of himself. Sasuke supposed that extension not only went for battle, but for everyday life as well. As time passed, the sword seemed to become a part of Suigetsu, a part that would be missed if it would ever disappear, just as much as a friend or a family member would be missed. Though he supposed the other man had always been a weird one, regarding everything and everyone.

Karin ended up being the one speaking to him about it. "Why do you keep doing that?" she finally asked, sounding exasperated. "It's just a sword, not even Sasuke-kun does it."

Suigetsu shrugged. "I'd suspect as much from you," was his only reply, and the glare she gave him greatly amused the white-haired ninja.


	4. Consternation

Fourth drabble already! Things are getting a bit more serious, in this one.

_Characters:_ Itachi, and mentions of the Uchiha family/clan.  
_Notes:_ Because even the coldest of killers started out innocent, I believe.

_February 18, 2009  
_

consternation_  
noun_:  
sudden dread or paralyzing terror

Itachi was the perfect child. A prodigy, skilled in everything a ninja needed to survive, knowledge that no one knew how to obtain, and a look in his eyes even the elderly didn't have yet. Nonetheless, Itachi was still a child, and despite everything his parents bragged about, relatively innocent. When he graduated from the academy at merely eight years old, he still had wishes and dreams, an imagination running wild about the things in the big wide world when he became a ninja. No one told him he would eventually forget about his dreams, and that he more than likely would end up as a killing machine than doing anything he liked.

Itachi was liked. He helped out his teammates whenever he could, and even though he outsmarted his jounin sensei sometimes – despite the man being at least three times his age – he didn't do so very often because he didn't want to embarrass his teacher. His parents were fond of him, and complimented his abilities, while his younger idolized and proclaimed he wanted to be just like his older brother. Itachi's life couldn't have been better than that.

That was, until the team went on their first B-rank mission. Itachi had to admit that despite being from a family full of shinobi and kunoichi, he had never seen a dead person, let alone see a person die. He was only nine at the time, so it was quite understandable that while he was a genius, he also needed his time to understand. Why people needed to die was beyond him, and reasons such as 'he was a danger to our country' scared him, because they were so incredibly vague that by the end of figuring everything out, he still didn't understand.

His teammates were both older than him, thirteen and fourteen, respectively, and they'd heard a lot more from their families. He completely froze up when suddenly, on their relatively easy mission to deliver some scrolls to Water Country, they were ambushed, and both of his teammates went in for the kill. By the time they were finished, there were four dead bodies on the ground, one with his head decapitated, two of the others barely recognizable. After burning the bodies, they had continued on their way, but Itachi- he was too shaken up to even notice when they arrived on their destination. He still hadn't gotten rid of the smell of blood and frankly, if this was all being a ninja was about (his teammates kept bragging about it), he didn't want to be one anymore.

From being a child, Itachi went to being an adult after his first kill. And the more he killed, the colder he felt inside. Whenever he returned home, he couldn't bring himself to love his parents back, or to teach his sibling if they begged for it. He didn't hold back sarcastic remarks, to spare others, nor did he try to help anyone anymore, seeing as he had left them behind a long time ago anyway. He had never wanted to change himself, on that bright day that he had loved his family and they loved him back. But it did happen, and he forced himself to go through with, only to feel a little less cold inside when he stared at his parents' bodies cooling down.


	5. Tautological

Fifth one in the series, I must admit I rather like this one.

_Characters:_ Deidara and Sasori.  
_Notes:_ It's basically crack, of the first degree. Don't take it too seriously, is my tip.

_February 19, 2009_

tautological  
_adjective_:  
unnecessarily or uselessly repetitive

When Sasori met Deidara, everything about the blonde-haired man was overdone and exaggerated, including, but not limited to, his explosive clay that he affectionately referred to as 'art'. In other words, he was a complete dumbass that Sasori would not associate with under any sort of circumstances, whether his life depended on it or not. Though the word 'life' might be wrongly used, in this context. But to come to a conclusion, there was just no way that Akasuna no Sasori, refined puppet master of the first degree, would work together with just a lowlife as Deidara. He didn't even have a last name! However, there was no way to go around it when suddenly, Leader-sama arranged the two of them together as a team.

The first two weeks, Sasori spent being annoyed by his new teammate, who would yell 'Bang!' whenever he blew something up (and sometimes he did it in his sleep, startling the puppet master). The rest of the month he was in denial: there was no way Leader-sama would let them work together anymore if they screwed up a number of missions. Of course, whenever Sasori tried to sabotage, Deidara managed to either blow up their target (on purpose or not), or he had a genius moment and saved the day. Needless to say, that last one only happened once.

Once it became clear there was no way Deidara would be gotten rid of by Leader-sama, Sasori tried to poison the other numerous times, maneuvering himself in ways he hadn't thought possible before. He gave up the moment one of Deidara's hands gave him a _lick_. Despite their differences, Sasori slowly found himself getting attached to his new partner, though he did try to convince himself that it wasn't happening, by checking that he still didn't have a heart. It didn't stop his feelings, though.

Though Deidara would often blow things up, just for fun, and Sasori would reprimand him and say that art was something that lasted forever, Deidara would defend himself and say that art only lasted a moment, a moment in which something can be experienced only once, and despite numerous times, each and every explosion was different. Eventually, when he started making small sculptures instead of just throwing blobs of clay at his enemy, Sasori started to respect his partner's way of thinking. Though that didn't mean he had to respect it, of course, and besides, he was Deidara's elder.

What confused the puppet master the most was when the other started calling him 'master'. He hadn't done anything significant for him, and other than grumbling and complaining he wasn't a very good companion. The blonde kept calling him that, though, even though he had tried to stop him because it annoyed him. He finally got it, though, when in the middle of a fight, Deidara abruptly turned around and faced him, gave him a quick wink and suddenly yelled 'BANG'. Well, at least the dent it had left it the surface would be some lasting art.


	6. Ellipsis

Well, after the pleasant surprise of being unable to log-in for a couple of days, I finally found that I was able to log-in again this morning. (The message that I should wait a couple of minutes before trying again started to tick me off at a certain point... Especially because it wasn't just a couple of minutes, but more like a couple of days.) But I got over it, and I think I'll be posting a few more drabbles today...

_Characters:_ Jiraiya. Not being a pervert, for once.  
_Notes:_ Spoilers, loads of them. You might not get it if you haven't read that part in the manga yet, though.

_February 20, 2009_

ellipsis  
_noun_:  
three dots used to show an omission in writing or printing; the omission of a word or words in text

There were a lot of things Jiraiya didn't say in his writing. Though he was mostly famous through his Icha Icha series, he had, in fact, written other things before. Being a ninja for over forty years greatly influenced you, and at some point in his life, it greatly showed in his writing. Now at this point, he didn't let it bother him that much anymore. He'd had a great life, for as far as he could remember, he could drink when he wanted, heck, he could do research when he wanted. However, even for a person as Jiraiya, there were some things that he would never write down, no matter how serious or funny it might be.

Years ago, he pondered, he'd written a story about a hero. That hero had not been allowed to survive, at least not in his writing as far as he was concerned – but that hero was his main problem. For a long time, he had tried to forget about him, but the moment he ran into the blond-haired kid, everything was messed up. Everything. He had known the Fourth's legacy would be carried on, but that he would be so similar? Well, physically, anyway. The boy took way too much after his mother, personality wise. Though she'd always been a bit of a tomboy, regardless of being around him or not.

The problem here was that his hero had taken on a real life, had real dreams, real wants and needs. His hero, that had been nothing but a joke at the beginning of his career (despite Minato and Kushina both supporting him), was turning out to be a real person- almost as he had imagined him. At first Jiraiya had just thrown it on the fact that his hero and this brat shared the same name, but time and time again, this brat would prove him wrong and do something so out of the ordinary that it left Jiraiya to wonder if the brat had ever read the book.

Nevertheless, the similarities were astonishing, and the brat- well, Naruto, wasn't even doing it on purpose. The point here being, he didn't want Naruto to end up like his hero; sure, Naruto could be Hokage, heck, for all Jiraiya cared he could become a ramen chef, but he would always be a hero, in Jiraiya's eyes. More of a hero than he would ever be, more than a hero than his teammates ever would be. Speaking of teammates… He silently smirked to himself. If anyone was able to drag the Uchiha's ass back, it would be him.

Jiraiya wouldn't mention his hero to Naruto, and he was sure Tsunade never would either. Naruto already had enough problems without wondering about this as well, Akatsuki, the Uchiha. Naruto had had the potential to be a hero ever since he was born, though he still was a long way from it. He grinned when the silly genin fell over once again, trying to focus on his training. The kid had a long way ahead of him, that was certain.


	7. Hermetic

_Characters_: Kyuubi, Naruto, mentions of KyuuSasu  
_Notes_: Kyuubi isn't vert nice in this. I've never really considered him to be nice, actually (come one, he is a demon), and I can imagine this is what he could think. Well, save for the last part, of course.

hermetic  
_adjective_:  
**1.** closed tightly; airtight  
**2.** obscure; magical

The Kyuubi had never been sealed away, and to be done so by a mere mortal –one of those puny beings he could crush with his small toe- greatly infuriated the Kyuubi no Kitsune. In fact, it infuriated him even more that he could not take out his anger on said mortals, because he had been sealed and basically just a mere pet behind bars, that the owner forgot to feed more often than not. Naruto wasn't a very responsible pet keeper, and the Kyuubi reminded him of this fact whenever he got the chance (that wasn't very often), and greatly amused himself by scaring the poor genin out of his wits. Well, he was the greatest of nine demons, at least let him have some of his entertainment. Being confined in a cage for the span of several decades without anything to do tended to become boring after a while. Yes, even for an almighty demon like him that had already lived several millennia.

Kyuubi fondly remembered the first time he had spoken to the mortal brat. Oh, if those bars hadn't been there… He darkly chuckled for a while, amused by own thoughts, than reminisced. Of course the poor mortal had had no idea what he had been facing, and he had had to make it clear to him that there was no messing with a powerful demon! …Well, after lending him some chakra to make sure the host didn't die (to keep himself from dying), of course. Terrifying the mortal could always be kept for some other time. Speaking about mortals, he better go think about a way to scare the mortals outside the host's body. Kyuubi chuckled darkly again. Oh, if only the brat would gain a couple of more tails, than he would show the world that the Kyuubi no Kitsune was not one to be messed with.

"Oi, you dumb fox, are you fantasizing about crushing villages again?" Irritated, said fox looked up and frowned down at the unfazed host.

"It does not matter to you what I do, you mortal," he growled, stood up and turned around, so his back was facing the brat. He would not give in this time.

"Well, it could if you could just lend me some…" The Kyuubi could almost see the host suggestively wiggling his eyebrows in his head, and as far as he was possible, he rolled his eyes.

"What is it for, now?"

Naruto, the mortal's name, apparently, frowned. "Sasuke-teme's being difficult again."

"Again?" the fox growled. "I already told you a long time ago you should've let me have a piece of his ass. He'd be nowhere near as dominant as he is now."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "And I already told you that will not be possible. You will not have his ass, related to Madara or not. Go screw him or something."

The Kyuubi almost spluttered at the brat's use of language. "That's insolent! Go take care of him yourself, you're not getting my chakra today."

Naruto grumbled and disappeared, leaving Kyuubi to deal with his foul mood. Being a demon lord obviously had its advantages, but at the moment, the only thing he had were disadvantages.


	8. Gambol

_Characters_: Yondaime and young Naruto  
_Notes_: There are some minor spoilers in this, names and such. It might be a bit confusing, but here's the thing, it's only real for Yondaime. Sorta like an unreal wish.

_April 2, 2009_

gambol  
_intransitive verb_:  
**1.** To dance and skip about in play; to frolic.

_noun_:  
**1.** A skipping or leaping about in frolic.

"Daddy, daddy!" A small child with blond hair and bright blue eyes tucked at his father's cloak, trying to get his attention. "Look what I _did_!" Excitedly, the child pulled him towards the exit of his office, but the figure of his dad wasn't budging, unfortunately. Finally giving up, the child crossed his arms and pouted. "You never come with me, daddy. Mommy always comes with me!"

"I don't have time to play with you today, Naruto," the man replied, looking up from his work at last. "Maybe some other time, when I'm less busy."

The pout increased. "You're _always _busy, daddy. You don't have other time." The child frowned. "If you're so busy, than I don't want to be Hokage!"

His father laid a hand on his head. "Now now, Naruto, you know I have to do this to protect the village? Who else is there to divide the missions, and to lead the ninja of Konoha to victory whenever it is necessary?"

Naruto looked down, though the pout was still visible. "You, daddy," he softly said.'

His father grinned. "That's right, and you know what?" Naruto looked up and the blond haired man put him on his knee. "One day, you can protect this village too, just like I am today." He turned around the chair to face the window. "You see this village?" Naruto excitedly nodded. "This is your legacy." He brushed Naruto's hair out of his face, his face suddenly serious. "Take good care of it when I'm gone, all right?"

The six-year-old stared up to his father in awe and knew he was able to do great things. "I will, daddy," he finally promised, than skipped of his dad's lap and ran out of the door. "See you at dinner!" he could just hear the boy yell. Then he was gone.

The Yondaime let out a sigh of relief, but not because he was happy. He stared at the open door, hoping his son would come in, demanding his attention or whining about the yucky dinner Kushina had made. He chuckled shortly, than dropped his head in his hands. It would all be over soon. He had been promised a day, and this was the end of it. He had seen his son, his wife, the village. Inside it felt like it wasn't enough. This was the way it could've been, and yet it would never happen.

Longingly, he stared out of the window. There was no way to turn time back now. He stood up from his desk – no, the desk that used to be his. He watched the sun go down slowly, basking the village in sunlight one last time. He had had his wish, and now it was time for Naruto to carry on his legacy. The boy would know it once he was ready. Smiling softly, he turned away from the window and looked at the door. "I'm ready," was all he said. All there was left of the Yondaime now, was his son, his legacy, and the words he had left behind. No one doubted that they would never forget them.


End file.
